Greetings Writers from your Authors of the Flathead President!
Tongues were setting fires. Talk that made the veins of my neck tick. The kind of talk that made people furious. Talk that made people wish something bad would happen, a bad medicine in itself. I wanted no part of it.
This excerpt, from Debra Magpie Earling's Perma Red, is an example of the insightful and evocative writing we'll be uplifted with at the Flathead River Writers Conference, October 5/6. Seats are still available and I'm excited to hear the slate of writers, editors, agents we have on tap. In addition to Debra, Montana-born Keir Graff is a wealth of knowledge about the writer's craft but also about the business. We still have a couple of seats for his Friday Workshop, Capture Readers with Conflict. This will be a wonderful opportunity to polish our writing in a 4.5-hour
setting with only 25 participants.
I also can't wait to hear from agents Zoe Howard and Joanna MacKenzie.Missoula-based author Danica Winters has a couple of new books out to go with the scores from previous years. Bigfork author Leslie Budewitz continues to publish cozy after cozy and has thrillers out under the penname Alicia Beckman. Add Kathy Dunnehoff, Maggie Doherty, and Carl Stevens to this lineup and I'm wiggling in my seat with excitement! Thanks to Claudia Bennett and Maggie Doherty for helping out! Please book your seat now if you haven't already.
Remember the AotF summer Potluck, August 22, at Whitefish City Beach Gazebo 3, 5:30 - 8:00.Please bring a dish to share and something to drink. We'll have some disposable plates and utensils, but many are now stewarding our earth and bringing plates/utensils to take home and wash. Beer and wine are okay.
Writers with an agent/editor private session at the conference: Remember that your submission is due to me by August 26. I sent out guidelines in early June. Send your submission to my personal email: craigtnaylor@gmail.com. Thanks to those who have already submitted.
Authors published in the last year (or who wish to update their bio) - we have a slide show of published authors we play between sessions at the conference. If you want to be added or updated, get your info to me by September 9. I'll need a brief bio, a nice picture or you, and a photo of your cover to craigtnaylor@gmail.com.
The next Flathead Story Concert presents inspiring stories from eight Tellers and Poets,including AofF members Heidi Wolf, Alan Solum, Mary Frances Erler, Glenn Schiffman, Keith Liggett and Craig T. Naylor. On Tuesday 9/17, join FS Ccurators Barb & Glenn Schiffman to hear true tales told live at Sacred Waters Brewing (3250 US2 East, Kalispell). Free admission but arrive early to get a seat up front. Folks seated in the back of the room sometimes have trouble hearing over the kitchen noise. Stories start at 6:00pm; doors open for seating at 5:30. Story themes = (a) Firsts and Lasts, or (b) Allin the Family. Sponsors include Authors of the Flathead. For event details &/or guidelines to submit your stories for future FSCs, email Barb & Glenn at story23fvcc@gmail.com or visit https://FlatheadStoryConcerts.wootick.com
Update of AotF biz:We are moving to a new website which will integrate many essential functions. These improvements do cost money, so I thank members for your support and encourage non-members to pay the $60 membership donation and help out. We are a non-profit so if you wish to make an additional donation, we will make great use of your generosity.
The Whitefish Review Music issue debut party is Friday, September 13 at the Second Story, 101Central Ave, Whitefish. Admission is free, but a donation is requested. AotF
members involved: Keith Liggett is one of the main editors, Glenn Schiffman has
a short story included, and I joined chief editor Brian Schott to interview
Diné composer/artist Raven Chacon, 2022 winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music and a 2023 recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. I feel close to this artist because, in 2005, in my previous lifetime as a music conductor (a hat I still wear), I commissioned a work from Raven for a concert of music composed entirely by Indigenous classical music composers, which was performed at the National Museum of the American Indian (D.C.) and the Kennedy Center.
The Humor submission for Whitefish Review is still open. Check their website for more details.
WriteOn!
Craig